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Australia: R-rating for video games under government review

Posted Feb 25, 2008 at 5:56AM EST by QJ Staff

Listed in: News Tags: Australia, Digital Extremes, OFLC, UK

Following the Office of Film and Literature Classification (OFLC) board's refusal to rate Dark Sector (Xbox 360, PlayStation 3) for its Australian release comes some good news for the Australian gaming community.

The Australian federal government has revealed that it is currently considering an R-rating for videogames (and that's across all platforms, not just 360 and PS3, as in the case of Dark Sector).

So far, the highest age restriction a game can receive is MA, which encompasses the 15-plus certificate bracket. With this current rating system, any title deemed inappropriate for an MA-rating (like, say, Dark Sector) is refused classification.So... This R-rating, which is similar to the 18-rating in the UK, could open doors for more adult titles in the country.

As expected, this move may not sit well with various organizations such as the Australian Family Association which feels that explicit videogames are potentially more dangerous than films due to the interaction of the user:

We're concerned about the level of violence and so on in R-rated material. But in terms of the games, it seems that there's a lot more scope to actually change people's brain structure and their attitudes with games.

While its true that this could open the doors for more adult themed games in Australia, the classification system might be good in the long run.

Underage gamers will be prevented from picking up games that have been deemed inappropriate for them while older members of the gaming community will be able to try them out and see if they like it. Of course, this is all under the assumption that implementation of the new ratings will be strictly followed.

Buy: [Dark Sector for PS3]
Buy: [Dark Sector for Xbox 360]

Via GamesIndustry

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It'll be good for the fact that some games get banned here, but it will be bad because some of the games could be put up as R18 when they could have been put up at MA15. Which would prevent people like me buying the game. But honestly I think alot of people over 15 will be able to buy, or convince someone to buy an R rated game for them.

# It's Good — Ash735 2008-02-25 12:00

Games that are usually rated MA15 anyway usually have some stuff cut from them. At least this way Australia gets a nice new rating system that the UK has had for ages, which prevents it from getting into some silly lawsuits, and you guys get Uncut games too. It sounds like a Win/Win.

# Hmm — SenorDingDong 2008-02-25 12:36

I'm just wondering if this will actually be effective. Doesn't America have an AO scale which Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo do not allow on their consoles? What's to stop the same companies refusing to have R rated games on their systems. Effectively making an R rating a different way of same refused classification.

# Finally — mikekearn 2008-02-26 11:18

I've felt that they've needed this ever since I heard about their rating system. Only rating up to 15+? That's stupid - there are plenty of games that should only be available to those who are adults. The refusal to rate the games because they didn't have a harsher classification held things back, and I feel this will give a chance for those games to finally be released.

I'm just hoping that those retarded nay-sayers won't be able to block the sale of games that could now be rated R based on their ridiculous claims of warping minds. I've been playing violent games for years, as have almost everyone I hang out with. We're completely sane, socially adjusted people, and none of us has ever shot someone, done drugs, killed ourselves, or whatever the hell else these people think games are going to make us do.

It's crap, and it irritates me when good games get shot down for bullsh*t reasons.

Oh, and to Ricardodude - they have the ratings for a reason. If you're not old enough to buy the game, don't try and subvert the rules. Prove to your parents you're mature enough for them to buy it for you, or just wait until you're old enough to buy it yourself. It's when people too young get ahold of these games that soccer moms with nothing to do (and crazy Florida lawyers) start ranting about how the systems don't work and video games themselves need to be banned because of it.

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